When Metroid: Other M came out on Tuesday, I just had to get my hands on a copy so I could see what the collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja, AKA "Project M," had in store for the next installment in the Metroid franchise.

Finishing the game with a 100% completion, I have to say that the game, though having its flaws, is everything that a Metroid fan can ask for. This is the traditional Metroid incarnate, modernized for a simple yet intense and satisfying experience, along with an enveloping story unlike any other in the Metroid franchise.


Story

It's quite clear that the game's story, let alone the game itself, shares a lot of similarities from Metroid Fusion. The game's story uses the same narrative style as Fusion, having Samus tell the story from her perspective, and delving into her past and her emotions.

Now, before we start talking about some of the more "controversial" things, I want to make this clear. You can't complain at all about Samus' personality or the way she acts, or her dialogue, if you didn't complain about it in Fusion. The fact is, Nintendo didn't change her personality, and Team Ninja sure as heck didn't. Samus was already full of thoughts on her mind and though she has a cold exterior, she's got a lot of heart and she's actually somewhat emotional on the inside. Even though this is expanded on in Other M, it's not like this is the first time that Samus has emotions. She hasn't gone emo because of Team Ninja. So, no blaming Team Ninja or Nintendo for this. If you played Metroid Fusion and thought the story was fine, and the narrative was fine, then Other M should not be a problem. If so, then it's you who has a problem, and you should get that checked out right away .

That being said, the story of Metroid: Other M is a very good step into a deeper story. Though I've always liked the Metroid series, the stories told in the games are somewhat dull on their own, yet if you look at them from a bigger picture, then it's a little more satisfying. Yet, I can't help but think that with the limited to no dialogue and virtually souless storyline, the Metroid series needs to have a slight change in the way the story is told. Fusion took the Metroid series in the right direction with the interesting narrative, so naturally, Project M decided that they would use that narrative to tell the story from Samus' eyes, and that was a slick move. Other M's story is brilliantly written, and I think that they should continue down this sort of path. Metroid fans will scream for joy as there are so many references to past games and concepts. For example, the opening of the game shows the climax of Super Metroid, with Mother Brain killing off the Baby Metroid and Samus taking revenge, all in cinematic glory, as well as Nightmare from Metroid Fusion, a major boss in the game, made an apparence in Other M.

I also liked the way Samus was very fleshed out this time, and not just some cold bounty hunter, like in some of the older titles. Her relationship with Adam Malkovich and the Galactic Federation is expanded on, and is very well written.

The story itself isn'tvery cliché. In fact, I think Project M tried very hard to avoid clichés, including how she gains use of her abilities and upgrades through Adam's authorization. Sadly, this affects the gameplay in a kind of dumb way, in which I'll explain later. Nevertheless, I applaud the fact that they did want to avoid the constant "Samus has all her suit upgrades, but she loses them from some freak accident." scenario. And did it pretty well... ish. Though, I have to say that the setting is very similar to that of Metroid Fusion, so I kind of wished they had a different setting. Oh well >.<

So, to sum it up, Metroid: Other M's story is very in depth compared to past titles, and is a great improvement from older titles. I for one, was glad that they try to make the story deeper, and they did it very well. However, those who haven't played Metroid games would either be unaware of the full extent of the story, or they would be confused about what was going on. So, for someone to truly get a grasp of the plot, he/she would have to play at least, Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion to get a pretty good idea of the plot.

Score: A+


Gameplay

The gameplay is basically like any 2D Metroid game, but modernized for a fastpaced, intense experience. The game itself was created with the philosophy that it would be like the original NES Metroid, but with a Wiimote instead of the NES controller. Team Ninja, known for their intense action games like Ninja Gaiden and the fighter franchise Dead or Alive, has always utiliized most if not all the buttons on a controller to have a very intense and challenging gameplay experience, requiring fast input of buttons in order to execute devastating combos. I myself, found the Dead or Alive series to be a lot of fun, but it can be challenging because of the combos and the complicated button sequences. So, for this game, Team Ninja and Nintendo decided to make Other M a little different. They would restrict themselves to only the Wiimote, staying true to their philosophy of "The Original NES Metroid, but with a Wiimote." Doing this allowed them to create very simple yet intense gameplay.

In addition to the simple button assignments of the 1 button to shoot and the 2 button to jump, the game also allows you to turn the Wiimote around and point at the screen, changing the perspective to the first person. While it is somewhat awkward that you aren't allowed to move while in first person, it isn't impossible to avoid danger while in the first person mode. Pointing the remote off screen will execute a dodge, if used at the right time. And while this is kind of hard to get used to, it's not faulty or unresponsive, so I wouldn't blame any problems on the game. One complaint about the first person thing though is that you can only fire missiles most of the time, and that you can't fire missiles when you aren't in first person, which is rather frustrating at times, but it sort of adds to the intensity of the gameplay.

Other than the first person mode, Other M also adds the "Sense Move" which allows you to dodge in the direction you press on the D-Pad as danger is headed your way, and melee moves like "Lethal Strike" and "Overblast", which can dispatch the enemy quicker(as well as being more stylish... like a ninja XD, thanks Team Ninja). And while the melee moves are pretty well done, the Sense Move is very very forgiving, allowing for you to be virtually untouchable once you get the hang of it. So, maybe one thing they can work on is to make the Sense Move a little more challenging, like suppose... you have to time it very well in order to execute it. But, I suppose since it's not that hard to dodge, that's why they don't have any item drops at all like life energy or missile ammo. Instead, you have virtually unlimited missile ammo by using "Concentration," which allows you to reload your missiles and your health if it's extremely low, but it takes a couple seconds, and if you are attack while under Concentration, it will cancel and you'll have to start over(or you'll die, if your health's that low lol). So, though the Sense Move feels kind of forgiving, the absence of item drops and ammo make up for it and make the game somewhat more challenging(honestly, I died really early because of the absence of item drops and because I had very little Energy Tanks at the time haha)

Another complaint that is quite evident is the auto-aim feature. Of course, the game would be really hard if there was no auto-aim, but with this feature on it makes the game a sort of "spray and pray" type thing. You have to face the right direction of course(ddduuuhhhh...), but then you can just spam the 1 button so that most enemies are killed. It makes the game pretty easy, and also, when there are multiple targets and you're aiming for a specific one, it might not aim for it if two targets are in the same direction. If you need a more precise aim, that's when you switch over to the first person.

But, even with the auto-aim, I think the game is satisfyingly challenging(at least, enough challenging), and the bosses are pretty fun. Heck, they've even remade some bosses from past games like Super Metroid or Metroid Fusion into a newer experience, with somewhat similar strategies but with a modern twist. Also, the game has a very nice pace. I like how fastpaced the game is(yet, I also complain that it's too short. I reached 100% completion in about 12 hours XD).

And here is when I reach the last complaint of the gameplay, which is the way in which you obtain the suit upgrades. Even though it's very good not be cliché, and I'm glad that the writers of this game actually came up with something else, why does Adam have to authorize for the use of Samus' suit upgrades and weapons. Like, it's kind of stupid if you ask me. For example, Samus, while running through the searing heat of Sector 3, where it's so hot, that Samus actually takes damage(like older games), and well, this is when the Varia suit comes in handy, of course, since Adam didn't authorize it, Samus is running through the volcanic terrain and taking damage! I mean, I understand that she respects him and all that and that he doesn't want her to use weapons that can be too lethal(like, say, Power Bombs or some beam weapons) but STILL! Adam's that cold as to let Samus get hurt when she can just totally just use the Varia feature and actually, just have all her weapons and then she can get the job done? NOOOOOO... it just doesn't make any sense.

Yeah yeah, I know that if that didn't happen, then the game would end too fast and it would be a cakewalk and it would be really really boring, but still!

So, anyway, the gameplay of Metroid: Other M is a fresh and intense thrill ride that would satisfy lots of action gamers. Though I have some complaints, it's a very solid game. I really liked playing through this game a lot. To me, the flaws aren't really that big of a deal(save for the last one... GAH, come on Adam!)

Score: A-


Graphics


The game's graphics are very nice for a Wii game. The animations and designs are done very well, and the FMVs and in-game cinematics are nicely done and high quality. The envirionments are very lush and beautiful, which kind of remind me of how Dead or Alive's graphics are, except less textured(speaking of Dead or Alive, I was surprised that I didn't see their certain... physics engine implemented for Samus in the game... LOL). The graphics do cause some lag though while loading some rooms, so it can be kind of annoying(though, it might be just my Wii. I think it's kind of dusty XD).

Not much to say in the graphics department... as always.

Score: A


Sound


Though the music isn't done by the same composer as the earlier Metroid titles, I think this new composer did a nice job of finding a balance between ambient music and orchestrated or intense music. Some of the music is like a homage to the Super Metroid soundtrack, or just some of the more iconic tracks of the Metroid series. Very catchy of course ^^. The sound effects also give you the feeling that you're actually in the game and it sounds great.

And I would definitely say that the voice acting is an improvement over Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (at least, in some cases). I felt like the voice actors and actresses were very professional and weren't corny sounding at all XD. I think Samus' voice actress did a good job too, despite some people's skepticism over whether or not she should even have a voice.

Score: A+


script


I felt like the script of the game was also pretty well written, though at some parts I feel like she's kind of just rambling on about her emotions, which I guess, I can tolerate. I do think that Anthony's lines are also kind of corny("Remembuh me?" XD), but they're not bad. So basically, the script illustrates the story and Samus' past very well. I think this is a step in the right direction.


Score: A-


Overall Score: A

This game is very solid, intense, and very satisfying. If you're a Metroid fan, you don't want to miss out(at least... I think so ^^. This game is a great throwback to older days, but also bringing the franchise to a new and exciting direction. I hope that if they can sort of tune up some of the issues that I listed, that maybe the next Metroid game would feature a similar concept.

Though there are some flaws, and the game is shorter than I expected, this game is in fact, a tradition Metroid game, and it's a lot of fun.

This game was a very impressive undertaking from Project M, and I hope that they would work together again for another Metroid game if they can work out a few flaws.

EDIT: OH, and thank you Vizzed, for giving me the privilege of playing Metroid Fusion so that I could get a full scope of the story in this game

Good, because I reserved that game, but I've been too lazy to go and get it. =P

thats a nice review must of took a while to write

billythekidmonster : Yeah I'd say about two hours or so

Excellent review, couldn't have put it better myself. It seems to me that all of the Wii games are made to be user-friendly, Prime 3 and Other M aren't exceptions.

I'm not sure if it's the wiimote or what, but I think that the rest of the games in the series from NES to GC had more of a challenge. They need to get past the user-friendliness of the motion controls and implement challenge back into the next game.

tRIUNE : Yeah, this game was lot of fun but it was basically too easy for me xD. As a Metroid fan, it's not hard to reach 100% within 10-15 hours. It's definitely a hardcore game in my opinion, but it's an easy one.
However, when you reach 100%, you unlock "Hard mode", which is instead of just making it "harder", you don't have any expansions or energy tanks or anything. You're stuck with just 99 energy and 10 missiles for the whole game. That took me a while longer and it was a challenge, but it was still done rather quickly after you get the patterns of the bosses through your mind.
So, I liked the "hardcore-ness" of the game yet making it simple. But it was because of that that the game was done rather quickly and it wasn't that hard. Yet I kind of understand since they had to use lots of disk space for the content, which can be a reason for the short game. But yeah, all Wii first pary games seem to be easier than their earlier counterparts.

I've seen a lot of game play and watched a few reviews. It looks pretty good. I kind of like the ability to go into 3rd person mode. I usually prefer 3rd person over other views.

mdynasty926 : I haven't played it but it looks good. The only thing is that some of the reviews for the game are 6.5 which isn't good. But u can't always go with the reviews all of the time.

SateNorman : I think the biggest point of disagreement is the whole personality of Samus and the gameplay. It's all a love or hate thing. I love it. I have no problem with Samus' personality because it's not like you know everything about her emotions before she talked, though she can be kind of rambling on and on..
And the gameplay is essentially traditional Metroid with some extra fast paced action, which I can definitely tolerate.
So, it all depends on whether or not you love it or hate it, and I loved it, which is why I gave the game an A(I might be overrating... but it's still very solid and a lot of fun)

What a great review! I have to agree with you for the most part. I am not sure why this game is getting clubbed by the reviews sites. I mean it only got a 6.5/10 from GameInformer.

It felt a bit short for me and still doesn't even come close to capturing the feeling of the original experience on the NES but I don't think anything will ever come that close.

thanks for taking the time to write up the review mdynasty926... hopefully more people will give this game a shot.

Ammo007 : Thanks
Yeah it was too short.. I wish I had more stuff to do after beating the game... even getting all the items didn't take that much longer.
But yeah, there's no reason to give the game lower than an 8 or something... there's a lot of bias though about what they think the game should've been like, or girl gamers thinking the game's sexist(which, I think is absolutely insane.), or how gamers believe Samus' personality should be... it's all pointless to use in a review. Though I did mention that the whole Adam authorization thing was a bit far but that shouldn't affect the way you grade the game.

People say that the game is really bad but i say it is a really fun game.

I think that the main reason that the game got panned by most critics is the difficulty and length.

i love metroid games and this one was fun but was kinda easy but have any of you found the secret item that was left behind i did it was....... and the hard mode is harder but is still kinda easy if you know what to do already anyway im still a huge fan and i give metroid the other m a 9.5/10



signed by toonmaster who is a serious metroid gamer and story tracker

I loved playing this game, really enjoyed it and excellent review on it :3